Congratulations
to prospects (and parents) that have been recruited by an NCAA
Division I or II baseball program and will have the opportunity to
sign a National Letter of Intent starting November 9. That’s quite
an honor to get a scholarship for all your hard work and effort!Some
points and reminders about the National Letter of Intent follow:

When
you sign the National Letter of Intent, you’re committing to attend
the school you sign with for one full academic year. In return, the
school is committing to provide you an athletic scholarship for that
first year. If you withdraw from school or transfer elsewhere before
completing one academic year, there may be penalties that will affect
your future eligibility. It is possible to get a release from that
one year commitment, but many coaches don’t look kindly upon you
not allowing a full year to see if you really like the school and the
baseball program.
The
NLI must be accompanied by a financial aid agreement (two separate
documents) from the school you are signing with. Be sure that the
financial aid agreement lists the same amount of athletic scholarship
that was offered during the recruiting process.
Coaches
aren’t allowed to deliver the National Letter in person and aren’t
allowed to be present when the prospect signs the NLI. Sometimes a
prospect’s family will ask if the coach can be at their “signing
party” so they can get a picture together when their son signs the
NLI. NCAA rules don’t permit this, but it’s OK for NAIA schools
and junior colleges.
If
you are a multi-sport athlete who is considering playing both
baseball and football at the college level (applies to both NCAA
Division I and II), you should not sign with your school until the
football signing period in February. This is because a school that
signs a football player to a scholarship in baseball (or another fall
signing sport) to get a “jump” on the other schools, so the
player doesn’t have to wait until February to sign, will jeopardize
that player’s eligibility for the first year.
It
is possible to “double sign” with an NCAA program and a Junior
College. This is somewhat common since players may want to “lock
in” with an NCAA program, but also want to keep their options open
to attend Junior College and be able to be selected in the MLB draft
after their freshman year. (Players can sign with a Junior College
starting on January 15.)

Prospects
that sign with an NCAA program, but start out at Junior College, need
to keep in mind that by signing the National Letter of Intent, they
are still committed to that NCAA program until they graduate from the
Junior College. An athlete who signs with NCAA school A, but instead
goes to Junior College, and then chooses to enroll at NCAA school B
before completing their requirements for the Associates degree will
still be bound to NCAA school A, unless A will grant them a complete
release from the NLI.If
you’re interested in individual assistance with questions about
recruiting, eligibility, financial aid, or transfer rules, contact
Rick Allen at rick@informedathlete.com
or 918-994-7272, or visit their website at www.informedathlete.com.
Rick is uniquely qualified to advise parents, athletes, and coaches
on these issues as the parent of a recruited prospect who has over 20
years of experience managing compliance with NCAA rules at two major
universities and as a consultant to college athletic departments.